U.S. Soldier to Face Trial for Iraq Abuse

[Rose Siding]

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A U.S. Army specialist goes on trial Saturday for allegedly abusing inmates at Abu Ghraib prison -- the first military intelligence soldier to be prosecuted in the scandal that has so far focused on a handful of prison guard reservists.

Spc. Armin J. Cruz, who was assigned to the 325th Military Intelligence Battalion at the prison, is accused of forcing naked prisoners to crawl along the floor and later handcuffing the men together, forcing them to embrace, said Lt. Col. Steven Boylan, spokesman for coalition forces in Iraq.

Cruz could face up to one year in prison, reduction in rank, a bad-conduct discharge and a cut in pay if convicted during the special court-martial, which will convene in the Baghdad Convention Center in the Green Zone.

The trial takes place as the Pentagon is under fire for its handling of the abuse investigations, with growing calls for an independent commission to get to the bottom of the scandal.........

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-prisoner-abuse,0,4084459.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines

"...could face up to one year"?